Memory and Fact
by loveandart3
Summary: After their failed attempt to kill Claus, Katherine gone, and Stefan leaving, Damon and Elena have finally come to terms with believing that it is time to let Stefan go. And when there seems to be hope yet, a car accident leaves gaps in Elena's memory...
1. Chapter 1

"_We're never getting Stefan back, you know that don't you?"_

"_Then we'll let him go, okay? We'll have to let him go."_

Elena could hardly even believe she said those words, but what else could she and Damon do? The more they tried to save Stefan, the worst things got…yet… in Damon's eyes he still wanted to hope. But the pain and frustration was draining them both.

They had almost had Claus; it was almost over…so close.

But it was over. For now.

Now… the only thing that filled Elena's mind was Damon. They were so close. She could feel his breath warming her face. They were leaning in closer… closer…

"Mornin' Sleepyhead!"

Elena shot up in bed at the sound of the invisible voice

"Are you up yet?" It spoke again.

"Damon?" Elena's hair covered her eyes; she pushed it away. She rubbed her eyes trying to wake up. Warm sunlight shone through her bedroom window. Her bedroom. When did she come back here? she thought.

"Hello?" A now impatient voice called to her again.

"Damon where are you?" Elena looked around her room.

"At home? Do you know where you are?"

Elena laid her head back onto her pillow.

"Elena wake up before I come over there!" Damon said, this time a little more concerned.

The voice started to sound closer now. She reached under her pillow and found her phone. It was on speaker.

"Stupid touch screens." She mumbled.

"Elena Gilbert—" Damon yelled.

"Okay, okay, Damon, I'm up! Stop yelling. Why are you calling me so early?" Elena put the phone to her ear and covered her eyes with her other hand.

"Just thought I might offer to drive you to school today." He said a little softer.

"School!" Elena shot up again. This time she swung her legs over the edge and was up on her feet. She looked at the time.

"Oh my God, I'm going to be late!" She ran over to her drawer and started pulling clothes out.

"Good thing I called, now isn't it?" Damon chuckled.

"Damon, be quiet, I need to get ready. I'll drive myself."

"Suit yourself." Damon answered; annoyance laced his voice.

"Wait Damon…" Elena paused. She took in a deep breath. Damon was silent.

"Thanks." She said softly.

"It's what I do." Elena smiled. She could almost hear him smirking. Then she hung up her phone and ran into the bathroom.

"Good morning Elena, I made some coffee." Alaric called to Elena from the kitchen as she came running down the steps.

"No thanks, I really should go, I should have left 10 minutes ago." Elena said quickly as she grabbed her car keys and jacket.

"Wait a second, just come and grab some toast or something. Let me do my job, just a little. Let's go." Alaric persistently gestured for her to come to the kitchen.

"Fine." Elena sighed. "Where's Jeremy?" She grabbed some toast and pulled a thermos from the cabinet.

"He left… 10 minutes ago." Alaric answered.

"Why didn't he wake me up!" Elena poured coffee into the thermos. "Instead I get to wake up to Mr. Loud Mouth Salvatore in my ear."

"Damon?" Alaric raised his eyebrow at her.

"It's not Alaric." Elena said quickly. "Thanks for breakfast!" She hurried out of the door.

Elena got into her truck and quickly put her seatbelt around her. She turned her car and started to pull out from the driveway.

Her phone started buzzing. Elena saw that it was Caroline.

"Oh Caroline! I know that I'm late!" She yelled at the inanimate object. She tossed it onto the dashboard and kept driving down the street. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently at a red light.

"Come on, come on!" She sighed. She wished it had been earlier… that Damon could have given her a ride… She looked at her phone buzzing again… she wished that she wasn't late!

School and life seemed to become less and less interesting and important with everything else like life, death, war between vampires and hybrids, Stefan, and Claus, and everything else going on.

Green light.

As Elena made a right turn, her phone vibrated off the dashboard and right onto her feet. Instinctively she went for it.

_Oh my God what am I doing!_ She thought quickly. She jerked her head back up over the steering wheel and saw she was heading straight for a tree. She placed her foot on the brake and leaned back against her seat.

_Damon... Please help me._

She tried to turn the wheel, but it was too late…

"During the impact she hit her head, as you can she from the gash. She does have a mild concussion, so we'll wake her in a few minutes. And she also has minor cuts and bruises, but nothing is broken. We don't know how much damage was done by the impact though." The doctor explained to Alaric.

Alaric stood outside the room with the doctor while Caroline and Bonnie sat by Elena's body in the bed. Jeremy stood by the window away from everyone else.

Elena lay still with a bandage around her head and needles in her arms.

"Thank you doctor." Alaric shook the man's hand.

"I'll return in a moment. Let one of the nurses come and find me if anything happens while I'm away." With that he left them.

Alaric massaged his forehead with his fingers.

Just then from around the corner rushed Damon.

"Where is she?" Damon said darkly.

"She's resting. She hasn't woken up since she got here. She has a mild concussion and some cuts and bruises." Alaric informed him.

"What the hell happened? She was fine—" Damon cut himself off. He paced outside of the room. He ran his fingers through his hair.

"Damon, please calm down. We're all worried here. We don't know why or how it happened, okay? We won't know anything till she's awake." Alaric tried to cool him down. He reached out to place his hand on Damon's shoulder. Damon shrugged him off. Rick threw his hands back in surrender and backed off.

"Do you think Claus or another vampire or someone did this?" Caroline said to the room. Everyone looked at her.

"I think Claus is gone for now. Probably busy with Catherine." Damon said. He finally walked into the room and stood at the foot of Elena's bed. It pained him to see her so hurt. He wanted to help.

"She moved!" Bonnie who was holding her hand exclaimed. "She moved her fingers!" Everyone moved in closer.

Elena stirred in the bed. Her eyes steadily blinked open. She opened her mouth trying to speak.

"I'll get the doctor!" Jeremy ran out of the room.

"Elena? Can you hear us?" Alaric asked her. Elena just looked around at the people surrounding her. Her eyes were wide with confusion.

"Elena, do you know what happened?" Damon asked next.

"No. What's going on?" She looked really scared now.

"Something's wrong." Damon said.

"You don't remember anything that happened?" Caroline asked next. She moved some hair away from Elena's face. Elena shrank back from the gesture.

"No! I don't understand what's going on! Who are you?" Elena yelled. Then she grabbed her head in pain. "Ow. My head hurts."

The doctor came into the room.

"Something's wrong with her doctor, she acts like she doesn't know us." Caroline cried.

The doctor went over to her. Everyone cleared out of his way.

"Elena, hi, I'm Doctor Hanson. You were in a car accident a little while ago and you were brought to the hospital. Do you remember that?"

"I… I don't remember anything. But everything hurts. Especially my head." She winced in pain.

"Well honey, you hit your head pretty hard. You have a mild concussion and some scrapes and bruising. We can give you some medicine for the pain though." Elena nodded. "Elena honey, these are your friends, they came when they heard you were here. Do you remember them?"

Elena looked around the room. She studied each face. Jeremy came foreword first and grabbed her hand.

"Elena it's your brother, Jeremy?" He said. She looked at him and a small sense of recognition filled her eyes. He turned and pointed out the rest of the crew.

"Alaric, Caroline, Bonnie, and Damon. Remember?" Elena bit her lip as she just looked at them. Then tears came to her eyes.

"I'm so sorry. You are all familiar but everything seems like such a blur." She covered her face and cried. Jeremy rubbed her arm.

"Elena honey, it's alright. You don't need to bring any more stress on yourself. I want you to get some rest okay. I'll check in on you again soon." Dr. Hanson assured her. "In the mean time, I think you all should go home or rest. She's been through a lot and this might all be overwhelming." He guided everyone out of the door.

"Doc, what's wrong with her?" Damon demanded.

"It seems as if she's experiencing some sort of amnesia." Dr. Hanson looked worried.

"How long do you think it'll last? What else is she not remembering?" Damon took a step closer.

"I'm not sure. And there is no why I can tell that sir. But what I need to do is get my patient some pain meds and everyone here needs to go home. I wouldn't suggest you all overwhelming her. She'll be able to go home by tomorrow. We'll do some tests and see how bad everything is. Will that be all?" Dr. Hanson said impatiently. Damon finally backed down and let the doctor pass.

Elena from her bed watched as everyone talked in the hallway; her "friends" and "brother". She tried to remember what happened, but she couldn't because every thing felt so cloudy. She saw the dark-haired, darkly dressed man, talking to the doctor intensely. That was supposed to be "Damon".

One by one everyone started to leave. Something inside her wanted to call them back and tell them to stay.

After Dr. Hanson left, Damon stood in the doorway. He turned his head to look at her. Their eyes met. Elena's heart jumped. Her head was throbbing. Who was this man? How did he do that? All he did was look at her. But he looked so sad and worried. But did she really know him?

"Get some rest, Elena, sweetie, I'll be back soon. I promise" He gave her a sad smile. Then he walked away.

His words were so warm. And he gave her a promise. Why couldn't she remember him?

It hurt to try to remember anything right now. So she closed her eyes and focused on his voice and eyes…

Who was this Damon?


	2. Chapter 2

"How is she?" Damon asked as he accepted a drink from Alaric. They stood in the kitchen at opposite sides.

"She's better. Hanging out with Jeremy, Bonnie, and Caroline has gotten her more comfortable and familiar with them. But she still can't remember what happened the day of the accident. Dr. Hanson said that sometimes because of the trauma our own brain block out the memory of the event." Alaric took a sip of his drink. "Except she's blanking on our names and faces though also. He said he doesn't believe it's permanent though."

"Just and that to our ever growing list of life problems." Damon chugged down the rest of his drink. "So I guess it's my turn for some quality time today huh?"

"Yeah I guess so." Alaric looked at him. "You sure you can handle it? Should we hang around or something?"

"Who do you take me for Rick?" Damon stood up defensively. "I'm just as bummed about this whole accident as everyone else is! I care about her and you know that. Don't talk to me like I'm some stranger trying to take advance of her!"

Alaric was silent for a moment.

"I know how much you care about her. I'm sorry Damon." Alaric said. "Just call if you need anything though. Not that I don't trust you—"

"But you don't trust me." Damon grinned.

"For the first time in my life I feel like some sort of parent." Alaric shook his head and grinned. "Just humor me."

"Fine." Damon placed his glass in the sink. "Where is she now?"

"Looking for me?" A voice asked from the steps. Elena came lightly down the steps.

"Elena!" Damon's spirits lifted just seeing her. "How are you feeling?"

"God I hate that question." Elena whispered to herself. Damon chuckled to himself.

"You heard that?" Elena looked at him. _How could he hear me?_

"I can imagine how all the attention is making you feel. You always hated it." Damon grinned at her.

"You're right I do. You are… Damon? Right?" Elena came into the kitchen. Alaric started pouring something for her to drink. "Are you my babysitter today?"

"Still snippy I see." Damon crossed his arms and leaned against the counter still grinning.

"I am not." Elena crossed her arms across her chest. _Why was he messing with her?_

"You sure she doesn't remember anything Rick? She still prefers to argue with me." Damon raised an eyebrow at her.

"Were you always this annoying?" Elena snapped back. Alaric laughed. Damon shrugged. "You just try being cooped up in a house with everyone asking you the same questions and trying to make you remember things as if you're a child."

Elena left and went back up the steps. They heard a door slam. Alaric gave Damon a look.

"What!" Damon said innocently. "Why do I have to be the one to deal with the attitude? I didn't even do anything."

"Just go fix it. I'm heading to the school." Alaric headed to the front door and grabbed his jacket. "Try not to have her annoyed the whole day, Damon."

Damon sighed.

"Oh Elenaaa." He called as he walked up the steps. He knocked on her bedroom door. After a moment he heard the knob turning.

Elena stood in the doorway, her arms still crossed. She looked expectantly at him.

"I'm sorry for being soo… annoying." Damon smirked. When she didn't crack smile. He took a step closer and searched her eyes. She didn't shy away.

"What's really going on Elena?" When he asked something in Elena ached. It's like she knew those eyes; those piercing grey eyes.

"I… I just don't understand anything." She finally broke away from his gaze. She went and sat on the edge of her bed.

"What are you trying to understand?" Damon entered the room and looked around. Things were out of place and a bit of a mess. Photo albums and notebooks lay around. He sat on the bed next to her.

"I have known Bonnie and Caroline and Jeremy and Alaric for a long time. At least that's what I'm told." Elena looked around her room. "And that's what I've seen. But you…"

Damon raised his eyebrows.

"It's silly really." Elena shook her head.

"What about me?" He leaned closer interested.

"There's something about you." Elena looked at him. "I want to remember you, more than anyone else." Tears filled her eyes. "But I don't know why I want to and why I can't."

Damon's heart broke; the same heart that she had brought back in him, his humanity.

"I'm sorry, I'm crying." Elena wiped her eyes. "You probably think I'm silly or something."

"No. I don't." Damon stood up. "Come on."

"What? Where?"

"You want to get out of here right?" Damon stretched out his hand toward the door.

"Yeah I do. Where are we going to go?" Elena stood up.

"A little place I like to call home… well I guess it's technically your home too." Damon led the way out. Elena followed willingly.

"What is this place?" Elena asked as she looked around. They stood outside the Salvatore house. Damon smiled proudly at it.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

"It's so old!" Elena exclaimed.

"Excuse me?" Damon turned to her in disbelief.

Elena looked at him from the corner of her eye and smiled. Then she continued walking towards the door.

_Did Elena Gilbert just jest with me?_ Damon smiled to himself.

As they walked through the door Elena started looking around. Touching different things as if she were seeing them for the first time. Then she just held the sides of her head and closed her eyes. Damon immediately went to her.

"Is it your head?"

"I… I remember that smell." Elena stuttered. "The fireplace the old books… this house. It's so familiar."

"Really?" Damon was shocked. _Who knew this would work?_

"Yes!" Elena said with shock and excitement. "I do!"

Elena roamed around the living room. She stopped at where the liquor table was. She picked up a bottle and a glass.

"You drink." She stated. "A lot."

"Um, yeah it helps." Damon crossed his arms.

"Helps with what again?" Elena tilted her head.

Then Damon realized she must not remember about vampires, werewolves, Claus… Stefan. _Did she choose to block that out too?_

"Well it's not good for you. You shouldn't drink so much." She said after he didn't answer.

"Damon, a lot happened in this house. Right?" Elena left the liquor alone and went over to him.

"You have no clue do you?" Damon said sadly.

"I know something." Elena said. "Why does everything here seem… normal? Did something happen… between us?"

Damon in that moment thought about the possibilities of what he could have told her. He could have made up stories, new stories, happier memories… but he'd come too far along with her to start taking advantage of her now.

"Well, between you and my brother definitely." Damon sighed. "How can I tell you this is simpler terms?"

"I won't understand?"

"How about we take it slow. Do you mind if we take a trip down memory lane? Or would you prefer to look around?" Damon asked.

"I think I want to know everything." Elena said.

"Let's take a seat then. I'll get us something from the kitchen to eat." As Elena turned to go take a seat on the couch Damon went to the kitchen at inhuman speed and returned with a couple of apples.

"That was fast." Elena looked up at him wide eyed. "I thought you were going to the kitchen?"

"Uh, yeah." _Smart move Damon_. "Turned out these were hanging out closer by." Damon gave a crooked smile hoping that she wouldn't ask any more questions.

"Oh, okay. So what's the story?" Elena got comfortable on the couch and pulled a pillow close.

"Well, I guess I'll start with my brother and I coming her to Mystic Falls. He fell in love with you…"

"So where is he now?" Elena asked about Stefan. After going through the story and trying to cover up the parts that had anything to do with the supernatural Damon had finally gotten to the end. But being so void of the whole truth just made everything seem like a dramatic lovers struggle against the world and opposition.

"I honestly don't know." Damon stood up and went to get a drink.

"Well, is he coming back?" Elena asked.

"Same answer. Would you like some?" He lifted up a bottle to her with a grin.

"I'll pass." She rolled her eyes. "I feel like something's missing."

"You mean besides your memory?" Damon mused.

"Yes." Elena sat thoughtful for a moment.

"What are you thinking about?" Damon took a swallow.

"Why isn't it you?" Elena said still in thought.

"I don't understand." Damon said.

"Why didn't something happen between us?" She looked at him. _As if it were that simple._

"Ha! It's a lot more complicated than that sweetie. Did you miss the part about Stefan?" Damon came over and sat in favorite chair.

"No I didn't but you are leaving something out. It seems like we've been through a lot together. You "saved" me—" Elena started rambling on.

"I had too. My brother loved you." _I loved you._

"But you care about me too!" Elena leaned towards him.

Damon knew he did but Elena in this state, with memory loss, could be dangerous… or an opportunity. She didn't know anything anymore. Maybe this was Damon's chance to let her go before she could be harmed anymore. She could have her shot at a normal life. With Claus and Stefan gone, she could go on with her life. Damon had to give her that chance. Right?

"I'm your friend Elena." Damon said dully.

"No." Elena said cautiously. "It's more than that."

Damon got up and started towards his room. He had to walk somewhere. She wasn't trying to let go. And she wasn't giving up. _Let go, Elena, let go!_

"Wait! Come back here, I'm not done!" Elena jumped up and followed him. "You aren't telling me something. You aren't telling me how _you_ feel."

"Elena, please, you don't know what you're talking about okay. That was Stefan. I'm Damon." He reached his room and started going through his closet. He tried to look busy. Maybe he could find a picture of Stefan. He went to the closet where he was tracking Stefan before.

Elena walked in and looking around at the room. Her heart pounded. She walked to his bedpost. She liked his bed. She remembered the first time she came in here; she was shocked by how nice it was. She held on to the bedpost. She closed her eyes. Then a memory came back. She and Damon were talking right in this spoke. He was so close to her. Those same eyes searched her face:

"_**I will always...Choose...You"**_

Elena eyes snapped open. "You said you'd choose me. You'd always choose me."

"What?" Damon quickly turned around.

"I remember you said that to me once." Elena came close to him and her eyes begged for it to be true.

"Did you lie?" Elena asked.

"Elena, what ever it is that you remember… it's just not the same anymore. It can't be." Damon said softly.

"Why can't it be?" Elena said, annoyed.

"Dammit Elena, let it go! You don't know anything. It can't be. End of story. Too much has happened that you don't remember—" Damon spoke louder.

"And that's my fault?" Elena yelled back. "I know I don't remember much, but the memories I do have are of you! What you said to me! Why won't you acknowledge that?"

Damon turned his back to her. Running his fingers through his hair.

"I don't feel this way, whatever it is, about anyone but you. You're the only one that seems to be able to get inside my head. You're the only one who I trust, you're the only one, that inside, I know that is true." Elena walked around him to face him again. "Stefan, and whatever he is to me, isn't here! You are Damon. It's you. And I want it to be YOU! Why don't you get that?" Elena's eyes were wide with anger and frustration.

Damon willed himself to remain silent. But he wanted to pull her close and kiss her, and never let go, to apologize. His arms burned for her.

"God, just forget it!" Elena threw her hand up in the air. "Take me home, please. I just want to go home."

Elena left the room and didn't look back.

Damon walked to his closet and closed his eyes against the door. Then he punched through the wood with a loud bang. Splinters of wood fell to the floor. He looked at his hand and pulled out the small pieces of wood.

Then he walked downstairs and saw Elena waiting outside by his car. She had her arms crossed as she waited almost patiently.

He closed the door behind him and walked to the car.

Maybe it really was over…

The car ride home was a very silent one. You could cut the tension with a knife.

They finally arrived in front of the Gilbert home. Elena unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car. Then she turned and bent down to the window.

"Don't come around here again." Elena took one last look at him and then walked away to her front door.

Damon unbuckled his seat belt and was about to run out after her. But he decided against it.

Elena Gilbert had to be rid of the Salvatore brothers. Damon had to let her go. For her own good.

So he pressed hard on the gas sped off down the street. All that was left was to leave town.

Goodbye Mystic Falls.

Goodbye Elena…


	3. Chapter 3

Elena rushed through the front door and right up the stairs.

"Elena—" Alaric started, startled by the entrance. He emerged from Jenna's room only to hear Elena's bedroom door slam shut.

"Elena? What happened? What did he do?" Alaric called through her door.

"Nothing! He did nothing!" Elena yelled from inside the room. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"So…" Alaric wasn't sure what to do. "What's the problem?"

"Just please go away Rick. I really don't want to talk right now." Elena said a little lower.

"Just come to the room if you need to talk." Alaric went downstairs and called Damon. It went straight to voicemail. _What the hell happened?_ He sighed.

Meanwhile Elena lay on her bed, facing up towards the ceiling.

_What did I do?_ Of course she wanted to see him again. Where was Damon now? Why didn't he just admit he really cared about her? She could see it in his face and hear it in his voice. She saw it a couple of days ago at the hospital and every moment since then. He looked at her like he was in pain seeing her the way she was. He looked like he wanted to do something about it… but he didn't. He made it worst! He tried to push her away. _Why?_ Did she do something horrible to him?

Hot tears streamed from the corners of her eyes. Elena sat up and wiped her tears. She looked around her room. _When did this mess get so bad?_ So for whatever reason, Elena began cleaning her room.

After about an hour, Elena sat down again, satisfied with her work. She felt like she could breathe.

Elena looked at a small notebook she found while she was cleaning. She supposed it was her dairy; she noticed the dates. And the handwriting was familiar.

She opened the book to the last entry and removed the page marker.

Elena's head began to throb. The things she read were overwhelming her.

Stefan, Damon, Caroline, Bonnie, Tyler; vampires, witches, and werewolves. How could she have forgotten all of this? And how did they walk around her like it was nothing! They acted like they were normal!

Elena went into her bathroom and washed her face in the sink.

_How can this be real?_

Elena closed her eyes trying to concentrate. When she closed her eyes flashes of memory were starting to come back. The school dances, Bonnie almost dying, Caroline turning, the wolves…

Elena gasped at the images. She heard a stirring coming from Jeremy's room. She quickly locked his entrance in to the bathroom. Then she backed out. This was all crazy. How could she have been okay with everything?

But Damon… he wasn't the same person… vampire… she read about. He was different and caring. He couldn't be—

"Elena?" Elena spun around at the sound of her voice. There he stood in front of her open window; black shirt, leather jacket, and all. He was here!

Elena looked at her diary lying on her bed, then back at Damon. She shook her head and back away. Damon looked at the diary too. He realized she must have read everything she's written in the past years. She finally remembered _what_ he is.

"Elena, wait!" Damon reached out for her. She ran into her bathroom and locked the door. She covered her mouth with her hand. Her head was spinning.

"Elena?" Damon called to her from the other side of the door. "I'm not… I'm not going to hurt you. You know that. I would never hurt you."

Elena shook her head. How could she feel this way about _him_?

When he didn't hear her move he sighed and sat on the floor with his back against the door. He held the diary in his hands.

"You know, I thought I could leave you." Damon fidgeted with the diary in his hands. "I thought I could try to give you the chance at a normal life since you didn't remember everything. But a normal life for you would leave me nowhere. I'd have no purpose."

Damon leaned his head back against the door. "You're all I've got now Elena. Stefan is God knows where." Damon chuckled. "I guess I've got my good ol'friend Rick, but I'm not exactly his most favorite person in the world right now."

"No one matters to me like you do Elena." Damon spoke louder. "I don't care about anyone more than I care about you."

Damon was quiet for a moment. He could hear Elena breathing. She was close to the door.

In fact, Elena sat on the floor with her back against the door also, just listening to him.

"You're a liar, you know." Elena finally spoke.

"How's that?" Damon raised an eyebrow.

"You did hurt me. You made me feel like I was crazy today." Elena spoke softly. She played with a bracelet on her arm. She knew she was supposed to be afraid, naturally, as a human, but being even this close to Damon made her feel safer than ever.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't want to, but I thought it was best."

"You thought it would be best to leave me?" Elena was angered by this thought. "How could you do that?"

"Elena, you didn't remember that I was a vampire. You're even scared of me now! I was afraid of having to tell you again, of dragging you into all this mess again. I thought that if I left, you would move on and try to live a normal life." Damon defended.

"Normal? One of my best friends is a witch and the other a vampire, and her boyfriend, a hybrid. My brother died and can have connections with the dead! What part of that sounds normal to you?" Elena stood up and yelled at the door.

"None of it I suppose. I don't know what I was thinking."

"If my memory came back and I remembered everything, your leaving would have been for nothing. And you'd be gone!" Elena tried to remember that they weren't the only ones in the house.

"What are you so mad about anyway?" It was Damon's turn to stand up and raise his voice. "That I'm a vampire or that I would leave you?"

Elena gaped. Her heart knew the answer to that. This couldn't be right though, could it?

"You were wrong before."

"About what?" Damon dropped his hands to his side.

"I'm not… I'm not afraid of you." Elena bit her lip. She wasn't afraid of him. It was the truth. But her feelings were what scared her.

"Then Elena… why are we arguing through a door?" Damon said with a grin. He placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it slowly. He paused and waited to see if she would object.

Nothing.

He opened the door slowly and walked into the bathroom. He stood with his back against the door now. Elena stepped closer to him slowly. He could hear her heartbeat speeding up.

"All I have are these few memories Damon. What do they mean? Tell me the truth." Her brown eyes looked up at him. Her face was soft and inviting.

"I can't bare the thought of living without you. Not seeing your face again, or even arguing with you. I don't want to do things without you by my side, being my partner. I can't bare seeing you with someone else." Damon reached out and gently tucked her long brown hair behind her ears. Her warm skin made his tingle. She stepped closer to him. They were just inches away now.

"The truth is I'm selfish, with you. But the fact is that you love Stefan—"

"Maybe I did—" Elena entwined her fingers with his.

"And he loves you—" Damon tried to stay focus.

"But he didn't stay—" Elena closed the gap between their bodies. They were chest and chest. Damon could feel her heart beat against him. It made him shiver.

"And you would never choose me, like I chose you." Damon breathed out.

"I'm choosing you now." Elena never dropped her gaze from him. Now she closed her eyes and moved her face up to his. Damon gave in.

The lips met and warmth flashed through Damon's body like match catching fire. Elena pressed her lips harder against his. They kissed until she couldn't breathe anymore. She gasped and pulled back.

Damon held her waist now. "What is it?"

"I just… it's all coming back to me!" Elena caught her breath and looked wildly at Damon.

"Oh my God! I remember everything, the party, Stefan, the crash, everything!" Elena backed up and closed her eyes as her memories came flooding back, as if a dam had been torn down and the water flowed freely.

"How did the crash happen?"

"I…I was rushing." Elena kept her eyes closed. "My phone kept ringing. It was probably Caroline. I think I went for the phone."

She opened her eyes. "And then it was too late. I was too close. I couldn't turn!" Her eyes filled with tears at the horrific memory.

"I couldn't turn."

"Shh. You're alright now. I've got you." Damon pulled her into his arms. He held her tight. She cried, her face buried in his chest.

"I'm just glad you're okay now... I love you." He whispered in her ear. Elena smiled through her tears.

"I know." She whispered back. She kissed his neck.

"Wait. You're not hitting me or pushing me away?" Damon pulled back a little bit. "Are you sure you remember everything? Cause I think you're missing everything you've ever thought about me."

Elena laughed and she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"No, I don't think I am." Elena stared into his eyes and watched his delight at her words.

"But Stefan—" Elena put her index finger on his lips to stop him.

"I remember something else. Something very important." She said slyly. Damon was amused by her playfulness.

"Oh, and what's that?" He asked.

Elena got more serious. "Do you know what the first thing that came to my mind when the crash was happening? Who it was that I thought of?"

Damon waited. Holding in a breath.

"It was you Damon." She held both sides of his face. "I just wanted to be able to see _you_ again. I called for _you_ to help me."

She slid her arms around his neck, bringing herself closer to him again. She heard him take in a breath. She smiled.

"Looks like you've saved me yet again." She held his gaze and ran her fingers through his hair.

Damon lifted her gently and leaned her against the bathroom door.

"Elena… are you sure about this?" He whispered to her. Their noses touched. His lips were impatient to touch hers again. Her heart was racing again. He could hear her blood pulsing faster through her body. It made him wild. He just wanted her all to himself. He wanted to love her.

"What I said before does still stand." Elena said with a smile.

"I want it to be you—" She kissed him once.

"I love you—" She kissed him again. This time he chuckled and had that crooked grin of his on.

"I. Choose. You—" And that was all it took. Elena's arms tightened around Damon's neck. His hands roamed over her body and he held her face. They kissed with passion; Elena could hardly contain herself. After all this time she had finally realized and confessed her feelings, and it felt good. It felt good to return his love. Damon's hands relaxed at her waist. Then his lips moved away from her lips and he moved toward her neck.

Elena half expected it to be met with teeth, and oddly enough she was ready for whatever Damon was going to do…

But Damon's soft lips kissed her once tenderly on her neck. A shiver went through her body and her knees would have given out from under her if Damon's arms had not been holding her.

Then those grey eyes met hers. _I will love you forever._

Elena's heart skipped a beat. She stared back at him. _My heart is yours. I will never let you go._

And with that the passionate lovers resumed, uninterrupted. There was nothing left to be said. Damon knew he wanted nothing more. Elena knew her heart belonged to him, and that was all she needed to remember…


End file.
